Material drier with troughing belts



A. FAVA MATERIAL DRIER WITH TROUGHING BELTS 5 sheets-sheet 1 Dec. 20,1960 2,964,855

Filed April 5. 1957 l 1J; l fT//a "ma Dec. Z0, 1960 Filed April 3, 195'?A. FAVA MATERIAL DRIER WITH TROUGHING BELTS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 20,1960 A. FAVA 2,964,855

' MATERIAL DRER WITH TROUGHING BELTS Filed April 3, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet3 A. FAVA MATERIAL DRIER WITH TROUGHING ABEL-.TS

Dec. 20, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 3, 3.957

Dec. 20, 1960 A. FAVA 2,964,855

MATERIAL DRIER WITH TROUGHING BELTS Filed April 5, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 5United States Patent C) 2,964,855 MATERIAL DRIER WITH TROUGHING BELTSAugusto Fava, Milan, Italy Filed Apr. 3, 1957, Ser. No. 650,398 Y Claimspriority, application Italy Apr. 5, 1956 6 Claims. (Cl. 3'4-203) Thisinvention relates to conveyor systems and more particularly to conveyorsadapted for use in drying equipment.

The invention is particularly concerned with provisions which have to bemade with respect to drying materials such as alimentary paste. Further,the invention is concerned with permitting a drying Vprocess to beeffected as rapidly as possible with apparatus requiring a minimum ofspace.

It is, accordingly, an object of the invention to provide an improvedconveying system.

It is, moreover, an object of the invention to provide an improveddrying device.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved dryingdevice especially suitable for effecting the drying of alimentary paste.

In achieving the above and other of its objects, the inventioncontemplates the provision of a system of conveying belts housed in aunit in which the temperature and moisture conditions are susceptible ofbeing maintained at substantially constant and optimum values.l

A feature of the invention is the provision of means whereby a exibleforaminous belt which is especially suitable for the curing ofalimentary paste is maintained rigid by transverse supports.

A further feature of the invention relates to the use ofthese transversesupports for positive engagementby driving rollers which are adapted forengaging the transverse supports,

Another feature of thel invention relates to the provision of hingedlydisplaceable side liaps which are mounted on the belts of the inventionand which normally klie flatly thereagainst but which are displaceableto substantially perpendicular positions so as to provide sides for thebelt for maintaining the materials to be treated on the belt and for thefurther purpose of guiding the flow of a drying medium.

Still another feature of the invention is the provision of particularguiding means for guiding the flow of a drying medium in a predeterminedpath which is most suited for the type of material to be treated.

Another feature of the invention is the combined utilization of theaforenoted guides and transverse members to coact for the purpose ofconfining the paths provided for the flow of the drying medium.

Still a further feature of the invention which is contemplated, is theprovision of a readily applied type of transverse support which supportperforms the functions noted above.

The above objects and features of the invention will be discussed in thefollowing detailed description along with other objects and features ofthe invention as well as advantages thereof.

IIn the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation with the side wall removed.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line -2-2 of Fig. 3 but "ice with the endrollers turned 90'in order to show the grooves 16 in the rollers 2.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view, partially broken away, of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspectiveview of one of the conveyors. Fig. 5 lis asection4 takenv through one of the end rollers `2.

Fig. 6 is a sectiontaken through the end portion of one of the conveyorsand the end roller 2.

Fig. 7 is asectional view showing diagrammatically the pas-sage of airthrough the conveyors.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of part ofthe conveying i and drying meansof the invention, and

Y and drive conveyor belts 3 which are made of a iiexible and foraminousmaterial and are made substantially rigid bya system of transversesheaths or reinforcing members 4, said sheaths having tubular rods 5 forrendering them slidable in associated guides.

For charging the upper belt of the drier, there is provided anoscillating distributor 6 having the function of distributing theproduct to be dried uniformly over the width of the belt.

The movement of the material to be treated, from the point of entranceto the point of exit from the drier, is effected by allowing thematerial to fall from one belt onto the next lower belt, these beltshaving opposite movements with respect to one another.

With reference to a iirst feature of the apparatus, there are applied tothe conveyor belts the sheaths 4 gripping said belts over their entirewidths and equally spaced from one another.

With specific reference to Fig. 9, sheaths 4 each including matingelements 17 and f18, element 18 defining a socket l4oz for engaging theknob-like extremity 4b of elements 17. `It will be appreciated thatelement 17 urges a portion of belt 3 into socket 4a for purposes of apositive engagement.

A second feature of the invention is that, Yat the lateral edges orsides of the conveyor belts, there are hingedly connected flaps orstrips 7 along the lines 8 as shown in Fig. 4. These strips normallyremain adjacent the belts but eventually are engaged by the lateralguides 9 which displace the aps towards a perpendicular position in-such a way as to form two side-wal-ls for the belt. The guides 9 areintermediate the rollers so that the strips 7 resume their normalpositions at the rollers and do not interfere with the drive of thebelts.

Distinguished from known systems wherein the sidewalls of the conveyorsare independent segments vertically or angularly fixed to the belts, theinvention affords the advantage of simplicity and avoids excessive spacerequirements because the strips 7 assume vertical positions only alongthe sections at which the belts are charged. Hence, space saving and,consequently, complete utilization of the capacity of the drier isachieved, since a greater number of belts can be accommodated ascompared with conventional driers of equal height.

The aps further avoid contact with fixed walls and thus avoids thepossibility of friction and of the falling of the conveyed materials, aswell as the mechanical annoyances that might derive therefrom.

For the drying of alimentary paste, there are provided diexible belts ofnet material and a systemY of ventilation designed to effect a rapiddistribution of a drying medium such as hot air while taking intoaccount the delicacy of the material to be treated,

With reference to Fig. 7, in the interior spaces confined by theconveyor belts, there are provided guides including a depressed centralportion and attached elevated portions.

The air stream caused by blowers 11 is introduced by conduits into thevinterior zones at A and at both sides of the drier and the two oppositecurrents create a pressure in said zones.

Since this pressure must nd an exit, the medium passes -through the netof the belts and the material lying thereon. This, however, occurs onlyat the zones A because of elevations of the guides at zones B.

lIt would not be possible to maintain a sharp distinction of conditionsbetween the zones A and B if there were not provided projections 4 oneach belt. Projections or reinforcements 4 constitute by themselves afeature of the invention since they serve to stiffen the belts andconstitute positive means for engaging grooves 16 in the rollers 2.

As illustrated in Fig. 7, a certain number of members 4 slidingly engagethe elevations of the guides which determine the zones B and thusprevent the air introduced into the zones A from following paths otherthan as desired. Thus, the invention provides the product to be driedwith the possibility of rendering uniform its own moisture conditions inthe static zones B.

The paths marked by arrows in Fig. 8 indicate the movement of the air inthe drier, said air being moved by the blowers 11 and heated by the heatexchangers :12.

There are also provided pipes 13 for exhaust of saturated air from thedrier and controlled from the outside by a system of levers 14.

There will now be obvious to those skilled in the art many modificationsand variations of the invention which do not depart essentially from thespirit thereof as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A conveyor comprising at least one liexible conveyor belt includingopposite faces, and at least one transverse reinforcing member engagedwith said belt for reinforcing the same; said member comprising matingelements, one of said elements defining a socket opening and beingpositioned at one face of the belt and the other element beingpositioned at the other face of said belt, said other element includinga knob-like extremity for urging a portion of the belt into the socketopening and being itself locked therein for engaging the reinforcingmember with the belt; said belt including lateral edges, and saidconveyor further comprising aps connected to said belt adjacent saidedges and guide means operatively associated with said belt forselectively lifting said aps to provide sides for the belt atpredetermined regions.

2. A conveyor comprising at least one flexible conveyor belt includingopposite faces, and at least one transverse reinforcing member engagedwith said belt for reinforcing the same; said member comprising matingelements, one of said elements defining a socket opening and beingpositioned at one face of the belt and the other element beingpositioned at the other face of said belt, said other element includinga knob-like extremity for urging a portion of the belt into the socketopening and being itself locked therein for engaging the reinforcingmember with the belt; said belt being of a foraminous material andincluding lateral edges, the conveyor further comprising flaps of saidmaterial hingedly connected to said *Y belt along lines spaced from saidedges, said aps being adapted for hinged displacement towards positionsnormal to said belt for providing sides for the same.

3. A conveyor as claimed in claim 2 comprising a roller for driving saidbelt, said roller defining an axially disposed groove for engaging saidreinforcing member for the positive driving of the belt.

4. A conveyor as claimed in claim 2 wherein said belt is in the form ofan elongated loop comprising a blower for directing a drying mediumlaterally at said belt within said loop, and a guide adjacent said beltwithin said loop for directing the ow of the medium, said guide beingspaced from said belt at different positions thereof by a distancesubstantially equal to the height of one of the elements of thereinforcing member for cooperating with p said one element inrestricting the liow of the medium.

5. A conveyor as claimed in claim 2, wherein said belt is an elongatedloop of foraminous material, comprising a blower for directing a dryingmedium at the central opening of the loop and guide means in the centralopening for guiding the medium outwardly through the belt.

6. A conveyor as claimed in claim 2, wherein said one element has asubstantially V-shaped cross-section with inwardly directed abutments atthe extremities of the V.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS527,722 Sargent et al. Oct. 16, 1894 554,838 Schrebler Feb. 18, 1896845,317 Reatz Feb. 26, 1907 1,339,646 Frey May 11, 1920 1,627,354Thorsten May 3, 1927 1,780,954 Tomkins Nov. 11, 1930 1,822,313 Quiggleet al. Sept. 8, 1931 1,842,245 Bucaro Jan. 19, 1932 2,540,266 JohnsonFeb. 6, :1

